Teshuvah | nazareneisrael2house

Teshuvah – It’s about time!

“In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness is your strength. (Isaiah 30: 15)”

During the second day of Yom Teruah, we as a congregation gather together for the ritual of “Taslich” (throwing) where we symbolically cast our sins away by throwing bread into the water. The word comes from Micah 7: 19: “You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and cast (taslich)all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” This is a physical act of spiritual desire for ‘Teshuvah’ repentance. During this time of intense soul searching – the truth becomes ever so clearer. Deep down, all mankind knows that our best efforts are still not enough. When we look deep within our hearts, we see just how true are the words of the Scripture that says: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand?”(Jeremiah 17: 9). It will take a miracle to make us right. That miracle was in the intervention of Messiah Yahshua into this sin sick world. This is then illustrated as the people cast bread crumbs into the water and rejoice in (YHVH)’s promise of forgiveness.

Rabbi Levi proclaims the greatness of ‘Teshuvah’ repentance: “Shuva Yisroel ad YHVH Elokecho,” Great is repentance for it reaches even unto the Throne of Glory. In this context, “ad” means all the way to. It signifies a complete arrival. “Ad” and “el” express movement in space. But whereas ‘el YHVH” suggests movement in the general direction of YHVH, “ad YHVH” adds a sense of arrival, a sense of the completeness of the journey. “El” is ‘to’, “ad” is ‘al the way to.’

The distinction between Shuva Yisroel “ad” YHVHand Veshuvu “el” YHVH may be understood in new ways, if we understand the word “ad” as a time reference.

We find this time dimension of teshuvah in various teachings of Scripture, “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their conquerors and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly’; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their conquerors to show them mercy.” (1Kings. 8: 46-50).”

Ad YHVH Elokecho is interpreted: while yet middas (measured time) “YHVH” and before middas (measured space when time is fulfilled) “Elokecho.” Do teshuvah while yet there is measured time, because, in time middas Rachamin (measured time of evil) reverts to middas Din (measured time of justice). “Seek YHVH while He may be found; call on Him while he is near!”(Isaiah 55:6)

Rebbe Yahshua our Messiah put it this way, “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said.’Open the door for us!’ “But He replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matthew. 25: 1-13).

Our coming near to YHVH in teshuvah is a function of time. Evidently, the calendar provides us with times that allow us an annual closeness to YHVH. Although we can and must, do teshuvah at any time, still the ten days between Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) are the best time for repentance. “Ad” is a remez (hint) to the period of repentance. “Ad” refers to nearness in time. Shuva Yisroel ‘ad” YHVH Elokecho. The time is now!

Along similar lines, I offer a suggestion that “ad” + “el” is a kind of time-space matrix. We exist in time as well as in space. (YHVH)’stime contains all time, thus “eternity,”is full time not the end of time. If He is Space, He is also Time. Of course, we do find this dimension in (YHVH)’sname. “Eyeh ashur eyeh,” I am that I am, cause of all the causes, root of all roots. The name offered to Moses at the “Burning Bush” clearly indicates the dimension of time. The Tetragrammaton as it is written indicates the dimension of time as well as of space. Thus, if, in the process of teshuvah, we return to YHVH, we must describe such a return in terms of both space and time. And we do: “Shuva Yisroel ‘ad” YHVH Elokecho”: “ad” refers to time; “el” refers to space.

One who sins grows instantly distant from YHVH. “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in (YHVH)’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”(Romans 7:14-24).That distance cannot be measured in miles or in light years. It is a distance that manifests itself in moral confusion and spiritual isolation, in spiritual sickness and despair. The approach to YHVHwhich is called teshuvah brings a nearness that manifests itself in joy and spiritual vitality. It is a closeness in the time dimension of the spirit as well as in the space dimension of the spirit. It is “ad”YHVH as well as “el” YHVH. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Messiah Yahshua (as the expression of YHVH), because through Messiah Yahshua the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans.8:1&2).

One of the manifestations of this time-dimensional closeness to YHVH is the merging of the one who does teshuvah with eternity. The sinner reaches for the superficial, for the sensual pleasure of the instincts. He is of the moment. He belongs to the “here and now” of the hedonist’s life. The sinner is trapped by the yetzer hora’s (the flesh, Rom.7) beckoning, which is always for the moment’s pleasure, for the current fad or fashion. How distant must the sinner be from (YHVH)’s Eternal? Nearing YHVH means embracing eternity. Commitment to a Torah that is eternal allows for such an embrace. Then just as he nears his demise he reaches out to the Presence that has been seeking him the whole time, and turns from his wicked way and embraces the Adonai!

Our nearness to YHVH at Mount Sinai was for all times even though, individually, we are mortal. This is achieved by a covenant with klal Yisroel…...We are individual beneficiaries of a covenant with an eternal klal Yisroel, the Commonwealth of Israel. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of YHVH: And if children, then heirs; heirs of YHVH, and joint-heirs with Messiah; if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8: 16-18).Collectively speaking, klal Yisroel is immortal. Were a Believer able to sever his connection with klal Yisroel after he has experienced everything the Kingdom has to offer, he would lose that immortality. Then teshuvah would be rendered impossible. “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of YHVH(Torah) and the powers of the Olam Habah (World to Come), if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance.” (Hebrews 6: 4& 5).We are not talking about normal “backsliding,” but apostation even after experiencing everything to include the “World to Come.” It is only his inherent connectedness to the Kingdom that allows him to reclaim his nearness to the Infinite One. And his connectedness is assured. Teshuvah is therefore possible.

“As for you (a Gentile), you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways (culture & religion) of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air (HaSatan, the adversary), the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature [Or our flesh] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, YHVH, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Messiah even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And YHVH raised us up with Messiah and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Messiah Yahshua, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Messiah Yahshua. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of YHVH—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are (YHVH)’s workmanship, created in Messiah Yahshua to do good works, which YHVH prepared in advance for us to do. Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision”—remember that at that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from citizenship in the Commonwealth of Israel, aliens & foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without YHVH in the world. But now in Messiah Yahshua you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Messiah. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to YHVH through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with (YHVH)’s people and members of (YHVH)’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Messiah Yahshua himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a Holy Temple in the King. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which YHVH lives.” (Ephesians 2).

This teshuvah is “ad” YHVH, a reunion with the eternal in His time and at His place. “This is what YHVH says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” Let no foreigner who has bound himself to YHVH say, “YHVH will surely exclude me from his people (klal Yisroel),” and let not any eunuch complain, “I am only a dry tree.” For this is what YHVH says: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant—to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. And foreigners who bind themselves to YHVH to serve him, to love the name of YHVH, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The Sovereign YHVH declares—he who gathers the exiles of Israel: “I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.” Come, all you beasts of the field, come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep. They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain. “Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better.” (Isaiah 56).

May we be near to the Presence of YHVH and receive the fullness of (YHVH)’s bounteous blessings.

[i] This paper was sent me by Rav Rob Miller a few years ago, but remains relevant as Tashlich is something we do annually.